MK Uri Ariel Calls on Gov't to Rescue Arab Seller in Hevron

MK Uri Ariel has called on the government to rescue the former Arab owner who sold a property to Jews near the Cave of the Patriarchs.

By Chana Ya'ar

First Publish: 3/29/2012, 3:37 PM

MK Uri Ariel

Flash 90

Knesset Member Uri Ariel (National Union) has called on the defense establishment to find a way to rescue the Arab who was the former owner of a property next to the Cave of the Patriarchs (Machpelah) recently sold to Jews in Hevron.

Jewish residents moved into the building overnight late Wednesday night, quietly, in an effort to avoid creating a disturbance in the area -- but IDF forces immediately surrounded the building -- newly named "Beit HaMachpelah" -- and declared it a closed military zone.

“There are procedural methods to inhabit the premises without the need for a clandestine overnight operation,” commented MK Uri Ariel.“The building is a legal Jewish property. I visited with the families and the building was definitely purchased legally,” he confirmed.

“It now belongs to Jews. I call on the defense minister to instruct the IDF to rescue the Arab seller who is being held by the Palestinian Authority. His life is in danger, as we have seen in the past.”

Danny Dayan, Chairman of the Yesha Council of Judea and Samaria Communities concurred. “I do not understand the IDF or the government,” he said during his visit Thursday to the building. “This building was purchased legally. The High Court recently stressed the importance of ownership rights. I expect the government and all sources to acknowledge the purchase and allow the Jews into their home.

“Particularly now, with the anti-Semitic United Nations Human Rights Council declaring the Jewish presence in Hevron is a human rights offense, I expect the government to approve this accommodation,” he said.